Content distribution platform for beverage dispensing environments

ABSTRACT

A system configured to manage the distribution of content to one or more cooperating media/substrates in beverage dispensing environments, wherein the system receives data representative of environment conditions for one or more cooperating media/substrates adapted to display digital content, where the media/substrates may be located in beverage environments (e.g., bar/restaurants, hotels, or event venues), and where the system compares the received data representative of environment conditions regarding the purchase of a beverage with selection criteria to identify content for distribution to the media/substrates such that the selected content is distributed to the one or more cooperating media/substrates.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. applicationSer. No. 13/659,155, entitled “Content Distribution Platform”, filedAug. 29, 2008 which is a continuation of, and which claims priority toU.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/201,205, entitled “ContentDistribution Platform”, filed on Aug. 29, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No.8,363,618, the contents of which are hereby incorporated herein byreference in their entirety

BACKGROUND

The proliferation of electronic communications technologies has allowedfor mass delivery of information. For example, technologies such aselectronic mail, instant messaging, web browsers, etc., have provided amedium by which to deliver electronic information to a large number ofpeople very quickly. Electronic devices including, for example, personalcomputers, mobile phones, personal digital assistants, smart phones, andtelevision set-top boxes (e.g., cable set top boxes, satellite set topboxes, etc.), provide ready access to consumers of information. The typeand content of information that may be delivered via moderncommunication technologies varies greatly and comprises everything frompersonal information to public advertisements.

Current practices leverage the electronic communications technologies todeliver electronic content according to a number of content deliveryparadigms. Such paradigms prescribe delivering content according to oneor more selected criteria including, among others, user behavior (i.e.,how a user has historically interacted with previously deliveredelectronic content), and geography (e.g., location-based searchservices). The context of the electronic content (e.g., the type ofcontent to be delivered) can also be used when determining where, when,or to whom the electronic content will be delivered. For example, acontent provider can select to electronically deliver electronic sportscontent to users during a particular sports season, i.e., deliverfootball content during football season. Additionally, in connectionwith arguably the most pervasive electronic content distributionnetwork, —i.e., the Internet, users can select the type of content thatthey want electronically delivered by navigating the world-wide-web toidentify and request selected electronic content.

Thus, systems exist for the distribution of data. However, Applicantshave noted that there is a need for information distribution systemsthat employ new paradigms that deliver content during a user's beveragepurchase experience in environments conducive to beverage dispensing.

SUMMARY

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.

The herein described systems and methods provide a computer-implementedinteractive system and methods allowing for the management anddistribution of content, electronically, or otherwise, to one or morecooperating sustainable media/substrates according to a selected contentmanagement and distribution paradigm premised on one or more environmentconditions of the one or more cooperating sustainable media/substrates(e.g., digital displays). In an illustrative implementation, a contentdistribution environment comprises a content management and distributionengine operable to manage and distribute content to one or morecooperating media/substrates (e.g., digital displays), and aninstruction set comprising at least one instruction to instruct thecontent management and distribution engine to process datarepresentative of one or more environment conditions for the one or moremedia/substrates (e.g., digital displays) and select content fordistribution to the one or more cooperating media/substrates (e.g.,digital displays) based on the environment condition data. In theillustrative implementation, the content is distributed to one or morecooperating displays located within a beverage dispensing environment.

In an illustrative operation, the exemplary content management anddistribution engine can associate one or more media/substrates (e.g.,digital displays) identifiers to one or more cooperatingmedia/substrates (e.g., digital displays). In the illustrativeoperation, the exemplary content management and distribution engine canprocess environment condition data representative of one or moreenvironment conditions of the one or more cooperating media/substrates(e.g., digital displays) to identify one or more environment conditionscriteria to be applied and apply the one or more environment conditioncriteria for the one or more cooperating displays. In the illustrativeoperation, the exemplary content management and distribution engine candistribute selected content to the one or more cooperatingmedia/substrates (e.g., digital displays) according to any one or moreof the identified environment conditions, content provider sponsorshipprogram, and/or applied environment condition criteria. Illustrativelyoperatively, the exemplary content management and distribution enginecan track the distribution of content of the cooperatingmedia/substrates (e.g., digital displays) and generate reports fordisplay/storage having data representative of the content that has beendistributed.

In an exemplary implementation, the media/substrates may comprise amedium at which information may be presented to consumers. For example,in an illustrative embodiment, the medium may comprise a light emittingdiode display, a liquid crystal display, or other suitable technologyfor electronically displaying information. In an exemplary embodiment,the medium may comprise a display area for presenting information in anon-electronic format. The media/substrates can be positioned, forexample, at/on physical locations such as, for example, trashreceptacles, billboards, vending machines, benches, or any otherlocation that is accessible to potential viewers.

In an exemplary implementation, the media/substrate may further compriseone or more sensors or other mechanism to collect data regarding theenvironment conditions in the area or vicinity of the media/substrate.For example, in an exemplary implementation, the media/substrate maycomprises a sensor system operable to collect data including but notlimited to the number of people or vehicles that are in, or that travelthrough, the vicinity of the particular media/substrate at a particulartime or during a particular time period, and the location of aperson/vehicle. In an exemplary embodiment, the media/substrate may beadapted to communicate the data regarding the environment conditions viaa communications link to the content management and distribution system.

In an exemplary embodiment, the content management and distributionengine may be adapted to aggregate the received data regarding theenvironment conditions. In an exemplary implementation, the contentmanagement and distribution system may associate an identifier with eachof the media/substrates. As data regarding the environment conditions isreceived from the media/substrates, the content management anddistribution system may store the received data in relation to anidentifier corresponding to the media/substrate to which the data isrelevant.

In an exemplary implementation, the content management and distributionsystem may be further adapted to process the environment conditions dataand to identify content for distribution to particular media/substratesdepending upon the environmental conditions data collected for theparticular media/substrates. For example, in an illustrativeimplementation, the content management and distribution system mayprocess the received environment condition data to identify thosemedia/substrates that regularly have a high volume of persons that passthe media/substrate during a particular period of time.

In an exemplary implementation, the exemplary content management anddistribution system may further comprise one or more sensors integratedin one or more beverage dispensing apparatuses (e.g., beer tap, fountainsoda machine/dispenser, ice tea dispenser, water fountain, or winebottle tap) to allow for the communication of data regarding one of theenvironmental conditions surrounding the one or more beverage dispensingapparatuses to the content management and distribution system. In theexemplary/illustrative implementation, the content management anddistribution system may be further configured to process environmentconditions data from the one or more beverage dispensing apparatusesand/or media/substrates and to identify content for distribution toparticular media/substrates depending upon the environmental conditionsdata collected for the particular media/substrates and/or beveragedispensing apparatuses. For example, in an illustrative implementation,the content management and distribution system may process the receivedenvironment condition data to identify one or more commercialtransactions involving the purchase of one or more selected beverages ata particular location proximate to one or more cooperatingmedia/substrates in a beverage dispensing environment (e.g.,bar/restaurant/hotel, entertainment venue, or home) and select contentfor delivery to the cooperating media/substrates based on monitoredcommercial transactions. In the exemplary implementation, the selectedcontent can comprise but is not limited to coupons (e.g., time limitedcoupons, open ended coupons, or a combination thereof) for the purchaseof additional beverages, rewards points as part of a reward program foruse in the acquisition of selected prizes (e.g., beverage promotionalmaterials comprises hats, t-shirts, or posters), and/or incentives toearn giveaway products/services.

In an illustrative implementation, the content management anddistribution system may manage the distribution of particular digitalcontent to those media/substrates that have a determined level ofcommercial activity related to the purchase of one or more selectedbeverages at particular dates and times. In an illustrative embodiment,the content may be distributed to the media/substrates electronically ornon-electronically. The content may be received and displayed at themedia/substrates.

The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detailcertain illustrative aspects of the subject matter. These aspects areindicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which thesubject matter can be employed and the claimed subject matter isintended to include all such aspects and their equivalents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing environment inaccordance with an illustrative implementation of the herein describedsystems and methods;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary networked computingenvironment in accordance with an illustrative implementation of theherein described systems and methods;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the cooperation of exemplarycomponents of an illustrative implementation in accordance with theherein described systems and methods;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an illustrative block representationof an illustrative implementation of an exemplary content management anddistribution system in accordance with the herein described systems andmethods;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of one or more cooperating components of anexemplary media/substrate in accordance with the herein describedsystems and methods.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an illustrative block representationof an illustrative implementation of an exemplary content management anddistribution system operative as part of an exemplary beveragedispensing environment in accordance with the herein described systemsand methods;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of illustrative processing performed to manageand/or distribute content in accordance with the herein describedsystems and methods;

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of illustrative processing performed toidentify selected content for management/distribution in accordance withthe herein described systems and methods;

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of illustrative processing performed toidentify selected content for management/distribution as part of abeverage dispensing environment in accordance with the herein describedsystems and methods; and

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of illustrative processing performed todistribute selected content for management/distribution as part of abeverage dispensing environment in accordance with the herein describedsystems and methods.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

The claimed subject matter is now described with reference to thedrawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to likeelements throughout. In the following description, for purposes ofexplanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to providea thorough understanding of the claimed subject matter. It may beevident, however, that the claimed subject matter may be practicedwithout these specific details. In other instances, well-knownstructures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order tofacilitate describing the claimed subject matter.

As used in this application, the word “exemplary” is used herein to meanserving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any aspect or designdescribed herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed aspreferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs. Rather, use ofthe word exemplary is intended to present concepts in a concretefashion.

Additionally, the term “or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” ratherthan an exclusive “or”. That is, unless specified otherwise, or clearfrom context, “X employs A or B” is intended to mean any of the naturalinclusive permutations. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or Xemploys both A and B, then “X employs A or B” is satisfied under any ofthe foregoing instances. In addition, the articles “a” and “an” as usedin this application and the appended claims should generally beconstrued to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear fromcontext to be directed to a singular form.

Moreover, the terms “system,” “component,” “module,” “interface,”,“model” or the like are generally intended to refer to acomputer-related entity, either hardware, a combination of hardware andsoftware, software, or software in execution. For example, a componentmay be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, aprocessor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program,and/or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application runningon a controller and the controller can be a component. One or morecomponents may reside within a process and/or thread of execution and acomponent may be localized on one computer and/or distributed betweentwo or more computers.

Although the subject matter described herein may be described in thecontext of illustrative illustrations to process one or more computingapplication features/operations for a computing application havinguser-interactive components the subject matter is not limited to theseparticular embodiments. Rather, the techniques described herein can beapplied to any suitable type of user-interactive component executionmanagement methods, systems, platforms, and/or apparatus.

Illustrative Computing Environment:

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary computing system 100 that may be used toimplement various aspects of the herein described systems and methods.Referring to FIG. 1, the computing system 100 is capable of executing avariety of computing applications 180. Computing application 180 maycomprise, for example, a computing application, a computing applet, acomputing program and other instruction set operative on computingsystem 100 to perform at least one function, operation, and/orprocedure. Exemplary computing system 100 is controlled primarily bycomputer readable instructions, which may be in the form of software.The computer readable instructions can contain instructions forcomputing system 100 for storing and accessing the computer readableinstructions themselves. Such software may be executed within centralprocessing unit (CPU) 110 to cause the computing system 100 to operate.In many known computer servers, workstations and personal computers, CPU110 is implemented by micro-electronic chips CPUs calledmicroprocessors. A coprocessor 115 is an optional processor, distinctfrom the main CPU 110 that performs additional functions or assists theCPU 110. The CPU 110 may be connected to co-processor 115 throughinterconnect 112. One common type of coprocessor is the floating-pointcoprocessor, also called a numeric or math coprocessor, which isdesigned to perform numeric calculations faster and better than thegeneral-purpose CPU 110.

In operation, the CPU 110 fetches, decodes, and executes instructions,and transfers information to and from other resources via the computer'smain data-transfer path, system bus 105. Such a system bus connects thecomponents in the computing system 100 and defines the medium for dataexchange. Memory devices coupled to the system bus 105 include randomaccess memory (RAM) 125 and read only memory (ROM) 130. Such memoriesinclude circuitry that allows information to be stored and retrieved.The ROMs 130 generally contain stored data that cannot be modified. Datastored in the RAM 125 can be read or changed by CPU 110 or otherhardware devices. Access to the RAM 125 and/or ROM 130 may be controlledby memory controller 120. The memory controller 120 may provide anaddress translation function that translates virtual addresses intophysical addresses as instructions are executed.

In addition, the computing system 100 can contain peripherals controller135 responsible for communicating instructions from the CPU 110 toperipherals, such as, printer 140, keyboard 145, mouse 150, and datastorage drive 155. Display 165, which is controlled by a displaycontroller 163, is used to display visual output generated by thecomputing system 100. Such visual output may include text, graphics,animated graphics, audio, and video. The display controller 163 includeselectronic components required to generate a video signal that is sentto display 165. Further, the computing system 100 can contain networkadaptor 170 which may be used to connect the computing system 100 to anexternal communication network 160.

Computing system 100 may be adapted for use in implementing the systemsdescribed herein, including, for example, the content managementdistribution system, operator computing system, content providercomputing system and/or the media/substrates that are described herein.

Illustrative Computer Network Environment:

Computing system 100, described above, can be deployed as part of acomputer network. In general, the above description for computingenvironments applies to both server computers and client computersdeployed in a network environment. FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplaryillustrative networked computing environment, with a server incommunication with client devices via a communications network 160, inwhich the herein described apparatus and methods may be employed. Asshown in FIG. 2, server 205 may be interconnected via a communicationsnetwork 160 (which may be either of, or a combination of a fixed-wire orwireless LAN, WAN, intranet, extranet, peer-to-peer network, virtualprivate network, the Internet, or other communications network) with anumber of client computing environments. Client computing environmentsmay comprise devices such as, for example, tablet personal computer 210,mobile telephone 215, telephone 220, personal computer 100, personaldigital assistant 225, smartwatch 230, smartphone 235, and otherwearable computing devices 240 (e.g., Google GLASS, FitBit, etc.). Inconnection with the herein described systems and methods, clientcomputing environments may further comprise media/substrate 217, whichmay comprise an electronic device adapted to collect environment contentdata, such as the number of persons passing by the media/substrate in aset period of time, or the purchase/dispensing of a beverage from abeverage dispensing device, and communicate the environment conditiondata to a server system 205. In an exemplary embodiment, media/substrate217 may be adapted to display (electronically or otherwise) contentreceived from the server system 205. In connection with the hereindescribed systems and methods, server 205 may be employed, for example,to provide content management and distribution services as describedherein.

In a network environment in which the communications network 160 is theInternet, for example, server 205 can be dedicated computing environmentservers operable to process and communicate data to and from clientcomputing environments 100, 210, 215, 217, 220, 225, 230, 235, and 240via any of a number of known protocols, such as, hypertext transferprotocol (HTTP), file transfer protocol (FTP), simple object accessprotocol (SOAP), or wireless application protocol (WAP). Additionally,networked computing environment 200 can utilize various data securityprotocols such as secured socket layer (SSL) or pretty good privacy(PGP). Each client computing environment 100, 210, 215, 217, 220, 225,230, 235 and 240 can be equipped with operating system 180 operable tosupport one or more computing applications, such as a web browser (notshown), or other graphical user interface (not shown), or a mobiledesktop environment (not shown) to gain access to server computingenvironment 205.

During operation, a user (not shown) may interact with a computingapplication running on a client computing environments to obtain desireddata and/or computing applications. The data and/or computingapplications may be stored on server computing environment 205 andcommunicated to cooperating users through client computing environments100, 210, 215, 217, 220, 225, 230, 235, and 240 over exemplarycommunications network 160. A participating user may request access tospecific data and applications housed in whole or in part on servercomputing environment 205. These data may be communicated between clientcomputing environments 100, 210, 215, 217, 220,225,230, 235, and 240 andserver computing environments for processing and storage. Servercomputing environment 205 may host computing applications, processes andapplets for the generation, authentication, encryption, andcommunication of data and applications and may cooperate with otherserver computing environments (not shown), third party service providers(not shown), network attached storage (NAS) and storage area networks(SAN) to realize application/data transactions.

It is appreciated that media/substrate 217 can include but is notlimited to various components operable to display sustainable contentelectronically, or otherwise (e.g., flexible and/or non-flexible liquidcrystal displays, flexible and non-flexible LED displays, substratesoperative to receive content presented by eco-friendly/recyclablematerials). It is further appreciated that sustainable content caninclude but is not limited to electronic content displayable on thecooperating media/substrate that is illustratively powered by asustainable power source (e.g., solar power, turbine power, or othersustainable power) and/or content that is presented on themedia/substrate that is eco-friendly and/or recyclable (e.g., organicpaint).

Content Management and Distribution:

FIG. 3 shows an illustrative implementation of exemplary contentmanagement and distribution environment 300. Referring to FIG. 3,exemplary content management and distribution environment 300 comprisesmedia/substrates 320 and 325 through 330. Media/substrates 320, 325, 330are adapted to present information that is forwarded from content servercomputing environment 360. In an exemplary embodiment, media/substrates320, 325, and 330 may comprise a display device such as, for example, anLCD display, an LED display, or any other device or surface that issuitable for presenting information content. In an illustrativeembodiment, media/substrates 320, 325, and 330 comprise a medium or areafor receiving and displaying information content through non-electronicmeans.

Media/substrates 320, 325, and 330 are adapted to receive and presentdistributed content 305, 310, 315, respectively, that may be receivedvia communications network 335 or other mechanism from server computingenvironment 360. For example, in an illustrative embodiment,media/substrates 320, 325, and 330 may receive content via network 335and display the content electronically. In exemplary embodiment, contentmay be distributed to media/substrates 320, 325, and 330 through otherthan network 335, e.g. manually, and displayed in non-electronicfashion. For example, the content may comprised or be comprised on aposter that is affixed to the particular media/substrate.

Distributed content 305, 310, 315 may be any information that may bedisplayed, viewed, transmitted, searched, copied, retrieved, annotated,navigated, and/or printed from media/substrates 320, 325, and 330,respectively. In an illustrative implementation or embodiment,distributed content 305, 310, 315 may be, for example, advertising data,safety information data, environment condition data, public announcementdata, etc.

Each of media/substrates 320, 325, 330 are further adapted to collectinformation regarding the environment in or proximate to its particularvicinity. For example, media/substrates 320, 325, and 330 may comprisevarious sensor devices for collecting information regarding thecircumstances of its surroundings. In an exemplary implementation,media/substrates 320, 325, and 330 may comprise infrared detectorsystems that are operable to detect, for example, the number ofentities, including, for example, people, animals, machines, and/orvehicles, passing the particular media/substrate in a particular lengthof time or period. Media/substrates 320, 325, and 330 further comprisesensors adapted to sense additional environment and weather conditionssuch as, for example, time, location, temperature, wind, brightness,precipitation, etc., proximate the particular media/substrate. Inanother exemplary implementation, media substrates 320, 325, 330 maycollect information regarding transactions such as commercial purchasesthat may be made proximate to the particular substrate. Media/substrates320, 325, and 330 may be adapted to collect any type of informationregarding the circumstances of its surroundings/environment. Suchinformation is described herein generally as environment condition data.It is appreciated that the term environment conditions is not meant tobe limiting and can include but is not limited to one or moreenvironment conditions which a cooperating one or more media/substrateexperience including, but not limited to, the location of themedia/substrate, the size of the media/substrate, traffic (e.g., numberof people walking by, number of people driving by, size of vehiclespassing by) proximate to or in the vicinity of the media/substrate(e.g., as ascertained by a cooperating traffic monitor—object counter),weather surrounding the media/substrate, etc.

Each of media/substrates 320, 325, and 330 may be adapted to collectand/or store the environment condition data, which in an exemplaryimplementation may be stored in relation to the time that the data wascollected. Media/substrates 320, 325, and 330 may be adapted to forwardthe data over communications network 335 or via other means to server360 where the data is stored as environment condition data 349.Media/substrates 320, 325, and 330 may be adapted to forward data inreal-time as it is being collected. Alternatively, or in addition,media/substrates 320, 325, and 330 may communicate collected environmentdata at prescribed/scheduled intervals whereupon it is received by thecontent management and distribution engine. For example, the data may becommunicated at intervals of 15, 30, 45, 60 minutes.

In an illustrative embodiment, the data can be communicated by themedia/substrates over network 335. Communication network 335 maycomprise any communications technologies suitable for communicatingelectronic data including, for example, WAN, LAN, internet, wire line,and wireless technologies.

Content management and distribution engine 350 executes on servercomputing environment 360 and is adapted to manage digital content andcontrol the distribution of that digital content to media/substrates320, 325, and 330 according to a content and distribution paradigm.Content delivery guidelines 347 comprise rules and/or criteria that areused by content management and distribution engine 350 to identifycontent that is suitable for particular media substrates. For example,in an exemplary implementation, content delivery guidelines 347 mayspecify that a particular content 342 or a particular type of digitalcontent should be presented at media/substrates during time periods overwhich the media/substrates have a particular level of persons in thevicinity. In an exemplary implementation, content delivery guidelines347 may specify that at other periods of time content 342 reflectingpublic announcements should be presented on media/substrates meeting aparticular profile.

Content management and distribution engine 350, when applying contentdelivery guidelines 347 to identify data for distribution, may refer tothe environment condition data 349 that is constantly being collectedand aggregated from media substrates 320, 325, and 330. Contentmanagement and distribution engine 350 may further referencemedia/substrate tracking/monitoring data 340 to identify content fordistribution at particular times. Media/substrate tracking monitoringdata 340 reflects data that has been gathered about the individualmedia/substrate. In an illustrative implementation, the media/substratetracking/monitoring data may identify, for example, for eachmedia/substrate the content that has been previously delivered, when thecontent was delivered, how long the content was displayed, periods oftime that the particular media/substrate was unavailable or is scheduledto be unavailable and the reasons for the unavailability, etc. In anexemplary implementation, content management and distribution engine 350assigns a unique identifier to each of media substrates 320, 325, and330 so that data such as environment condition data 349 andmedia/substrate tracking/monitoring data 340 may be stored in relationto the identifier for the appropriate media substrate and easilyretrieved for the particular substrate.

Content management and distribution engine 350 is further adapted togenerate reports relating to all aspects of the operation of the system.For example, reports and the associated reporting data 345 may begenerated relating to the usage of content, i.e., what content wasdistributed, when the content was distributed, and to whichmedia/substrate. Reports 345 may be generated regarding the operation ofparticular media substrates, i.e., what content was received, when thecontent was received, how long the content was displayed, whatenvironmental data was applied to the media/substrate during particularperiods of time. Reports may be generated automatically at determinedand scheduled intervals of time but may also be generated selectively inresponse to requests from operators of the system and providers ofdigital content that may make requests of the system.

FIG. 4 provides a view of an illustrative implementation of an exemplarycontent management and distribution environment 400. Content managementand distribution platform 420 has access to digital content 417,media/substrate tracking/monitoring data 410, and reporting data 415. Inan exemplary implementation, content management and distributionapplication 437 may be a software application that executes on contentmanagement and distribution platform 420 and may employ/executedistribution guidelines 439 (e.g., environment condition criteria) todetermine the content that should be distributed to a media substrate atparticular times. Environment condition data may be stored separately atcontent management and distribution platform 420.

In an illustrative implementation, content management and distributionplatform 420 can be operatively coupled (electronically or otherwise,e.g., via manual monitoring) to media/substrate 425, and electronicallycoupled to content providers computing environment 440, andmedia/substrate operator computing environment 460 via communicationsnetwork 435. In an illustrative implementation, communications network435 may comprise fixed-wire and/or wireless intranets, extranets, localarea networks, wide area networks, and the Internet.

Media/substrate 425 may be adapted, via programming instructions orotherwise, to collect and communicate environment condition data tocontent management/distribution platform 420 and to receive and displaydistributed content 450 that is received from contentmanagement/distribution platform 420. In an illustrative operation,media/substrate environment 425 can be associated by contentmanagement/distribution platform 420 according to a content managementand distribution paradigm (e.g., the distribution paradigm can look to anumber of environment condition criteria when associatingmedia/substrates including but not limited to the size of a givenmedia/substrate, the location of the given media/substrate, etc.).

Participating users 430 may interface with media/substrate 425 in bothactive and passive capacities. Participating users 430 may comprise, forexample, people that pass in the vicinity of the media/substrate 425,but may also comprise, for example, vehicles that pass the vicinity. Inan example implementation, the media/substrate 425 may have sensors thatidentify environment condition data for the vicinity. The environmentcondition data may comprise, for example, information collected by thesensors about, amongst others, the participating users 430. For example,in an exemplary implementation, media/substrate 425 comprises infraredsensors to detect participating users 430 in the vicinity as well as thetime and velocity of users while they are in the vicinity. In anillustrative implementation, exemplary media/substrates 425 may beequipped with one or more sensors to detect one or more physicalenvironment conditions that can include but are not limited to, thenumber of people passing by a particular media/substrate 425, theoccurrence of a commercial transaction, an occurrence of at least onephysical gesture from at least one person, the utterance of spokenwords, the movement of at least one person, the interaction with atleast one data element on the at least one display system, the shape ofthe at least one person, the amount of hair on the at least one person,the presence of facial hair on the at least one person, the height ofthe at least one person, the skin tone of the at least one person, thepresence of makeup on the at least one person, and/or the length of timethe at least one person looks at the at exemplary media/substrate 425.

Participating users 430 may actively interface with media/substrate 425.For example, media/substrate may provide an interface that allowsparticipating users 430 to input information about themselves or theenvironment to media/substrate 425. Users 430 may answer questionsdisplayed on media/substrate 425 or otherwise input information.Media/substrate 425 may further comprise hardware and software toreceive all types of inputs from users 430. For example, media/substrate425 may accept voice input, keyboard input, i.e. text, electromagneticcard input, identification inputs, payment inputs, biometric scans, orany other mechanism for transmitting information from users 430. Theinformation gathered from users is communicated as environment conditiondata to content management distribution platform where it is used bycontent management and distribution application 437 to determine whatcontent should be distributed to the media/substrate. Thus, aparticipating user 430 may make an input into media/substrate thattriggers the distribution of content to media/substrate 425 bycontributing to one or more selected environment conditions whichsatisfy one or more selected environment condition criteria.

The environment condition data collected at media/substrate 425 may becommunicated (electronically or otherwise) to contentmanagement/distribution platform 420. The environment condition data maybe communicated in real time or at determined intervals. Responsive toreceiving the data representative of the environment conditions, contentmanagement/distribution platform 420 executing contentmanagement/distribution application 437 processes the environmentcondition data and data representative of the media/substrateenvironment 425 (e.g., media/substrate tracking/monitoring data 410)according to one or more distribution guidelines 439 (e.g., environmentcondition criteria) to identify selected content 417 for distribution tomedia/substrate 425 as distributed content 450. Contentmanagement/distribution platform 420 may be operable to selectparticular distribution guidelines 439 depending upon various selectioncriteria including, for example, the location of a media/substrate, theweather conditions proximate to the media/substrate, the size of adisplay at the media/substrate, and the operational state of themedia/substrate.

In the illustrative operation, content management/distribution platform420 can store media/substrate track/monitoring data representative ofcontent that is distributed to media/substrate environment 425 and/orcontent that is not distributed and process media/substratetracking/monitoring data to generate reporting data 415 that isrepresentative of content 417 that is distributed and/or content 417that is not selected for distribution. In the illustrative operation,content management/distribution platform 420 can communicate withcontent providers computing environment 440 to communicate the generatedreporting data. Further in the illustrative operation, depending on thereceived environment condition data (e.g., no one has passed by a givenmedia/substrate for a selected period of time, the time of day, theweather, etc.), content management/distribution platform 420 canoperatively communicate with media/substrate environment 425 to requestthat the media/substrate 425 power down according to one or moreselected power management paradigms executed by media/substrateenvironment 425.

Content providers computing environment 440 is also communicativelycoupled via communications network 435 to content management anddistribution platform 420. Content providers 445 may use environment 440to access content management and distribution platform 420 for anynumber of reasons. For example, in an exemplary implementation, contentproviders 445 may use providers computing environment 440 to perform thefollowing: input new content, change content, and/or change or selectcriteria for presenting particular items of content. The informationinput at providers computing environment 440 is communicated to andreceived at the content management and distribution system.

Media/operator computing environment 460 may be communicatively coupledvia communications network 435 to content management and distributionplatform 420 and media substrate 425. At media/operator computingenvironment 460, media/substrate operators 465 can interface withenvironment 460 to control the system. For example, media/substrateoperators 465 may input preferences, rules, and/or criteria that dictatewhat content is distributed and the circumstances under which thedistribution takes place. Media/substrate operators 465 may inputpreferences, rules, and/or selection criteria that determine whichdistribution guidelines or rules are to be employed. Media/substrateoperators 465 may also input content. The inputs by operators 465 arereceived by content management distribution platform 420 and may bereflected in one or more of the distribution guidelines as well ascontent 417. Media/substrate operators 465 may access system 460 togenerate reports 415.

Thus, media/substrate operators 465 can set one or more selectedenvironment condition criteria as preferences for the delivery ofselected content by content providers 445. In the illustrativeoperation, such content providers 445 preferences can be electronicallycommunicated to media/substrate operator 465 using content providerscomputing environment 440 in communication with media/substrate operatorcomputing environment 465 using communications network 435. Suchenvironment condition criteria can be communicated by media/substrateoperators 465 to content management/distribution platform 420 forprocessing and application to content 417. In the illustrativeoperation, such environment condition criteria can be stored asdistribution guidelines 439 that are processed by contentmanagement/distribution application 427.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary media/substrate environment 500 whichmay be used, for example, in connection with the media/substrate ofFIGS. 3 and 4. As is shown in FIG. 5, in an illustrative implementation,exemplary media/substrate environment 500 comprises media/substrate 505comprising one or more cooperating components including but not limitedto communications component 510, display component 520 (operative todisplay electronic and non-electronic content), environment conditiondata aggregator 530, and data store 540.

In the illustrative implementation, environment condition aggregator 530may comprise one or more electronic/non-electronicmechanisms/apparatus/sensors operative to collect data about one or moreenvironment conditions. For example, environment condition aggregator530 may comprise infrared sensors, temperature sensors, clocks, or anyother device that is adapted to capture environmental data that is ofinterest. Environment condition aggregator 530 may be adapted to detect,sense, and record, for example, the number of people passing by a givenphysical location, the number of vehicles passing by a given physicallocation, and/or the weather proximate to a given physical location. Inan exemplary implementation, environment condition aggregator 530 may beadapted to capture commercial activity in the vicinity of a particularmedia/substrate. For example, aggregator 530 may be adapted (viahardware and/or software) to record commercial transactions and/orpurchases proximate to a given physical location. Data regardingcommercial transactions may be received from one or more othercooperating data collection components such as, for example, a nearbyvending machine, cash register, or other device adapted to recordtransactions. Aggregator 530 may be further adapted to monitor andrecord environment conditions relating to the operational status ofcomponents of the media/substrate environment 500 includingmedia/substrate 505, communications component 510, display component520, data store 540, and environment condition aggregator 530. Forexample, aggregator 530 may be adapted to record whether any of thecomponents are inoperable or operating at a reduced capacity.

Data store 540 may be adapted for storing data relevant to the operationof media/substrate environment 500 including, for example, the data thatis collected by environment condition data aggregator 530. Generally,data that is collected by aggregator 530 and stored in data store 540 isstored in relation to the time that it was collected. Data store 540further comprises the digital content that is to be displayed orotherwise communicated by media/substrate.

Display component 520 may be adapted to display the content that iscommunicated to the media/substrate as determined and managed by thecontent management and distribution application. Display component 520may be any device and/or medium that is suitable for displaying thecontent and may comprise one or both of electronic and non-electronicdisplay portions. In an exemplary implementation, display component maycomprise, for example, LED displays, LCD displays, computer monitors, orany other device that is suitable to display the relevant content. In anexemplary implementation, display component 520 may be composed offlexible materials such as flexible light emitting diodes (LEDs) andliquid crystal displays (LCDs). In an exemplary implementation, displaycomponent 520 may comprise a surface area adapted to receive informationin non-electronic printed form such as, for example, on a poster orother article suitable for display of information.

Communications component 510 may be adapted to communicate informationbetween the media/substrate environment 500 and the content managementand distribution application. Communications component 510 may compriseany device(s) and/or networks that are suitable to communicate therelevant data including, for example, environment condition data anddistributed content data. For example, communications component 510 maycomprise any of wireless or wire line communication networks and may useany relevant technology including, for example, LAN, WAN, and Internettechnologies.

In an illustrative implementation, media/substrate environment 500comprises one or more collectors of sustainable energy. For example,media/substrate environment 500 may comprise a solar energy collectorsystem. Alternatively, or in addition, media/substrate environment 500may comprise a wind energy collector system. In an illustrativeimplementation, the sustainable energy source provides power foroperating the components of the media/substrate environment.

Part or all of exemplary media/substrate environment 500 may bephysically located in flexible and/or rigid form in various physicallocations including but not limited to trash receptacles, billboards,vehicles, buildings, vending machines, benches, bus stops, trainplatforms, airports, and floating billboards. Furthermore, theenvironment may incorporate substrates that are comprised ofeco-friendly and recyclable materials. For example, the substrate mayincorporate organic paint.

In an illustrative operation, exemplary media/substrate environment 500can operatively cooperate with a content management and distributionplatform to receive content for display and interaction. In theillustrative operation, according to a selected content management anddistribution paradigm, exemplary media/substrate environment 500 canoperatively through one or more components of exemplary media/substrateenvironment aggregate various environment condition data forcommunication to a cooperating content management and distributionplatform for use in selecting content for management and/or distributionby the cooperating content management and distribution platform to themedia/substrate environment.

FIG. 6 provides a view of an illustrative implementation of an exemplarybeverage dispensing content management and distribution environment 600.Content management and distribution platform 620 has access to digitalcontent 635 (e.g., sponsor content), media/substrate tracking/monitoringdata 630, and reporting data 625. In an exemplary implementation,content management and distribution application 640 may be a softwareapplication that executes on content management and distributionplatform 620 and may employ/execute distribution guidelines 645 (e.g.,environment condition criteria) to determine the content that should bedistributed to a media/substrate at particular times. Environmentcondition data may be stored separately at content management anddistribution platform 620.

In an illustrative implementation, content management and distributionplatform 620 can be operatively coupled (electronically or otherwise,e.g., via manual monitoring) to media/substrate 650 and 665, andelectronically coupled to beverage dispensing monitoring apparatus 610operatively connected to one or more beverage dispensing mechanisms(e.g., beer taps, soda taps, or wine taps) 605 a, 605 b, 605 c, 605 d,and/or 605 e, and via communications network(s) 615. In an illustrativeimplementation, communications network 615 may comprise fixed-wireand/or wireless intranets, mobile networks, extranets, local areanetworks, wide area networks, or the Internet.

Media/substrates 650 or 665 may be configured, via programminginstructions or otherwise, to collect and communicate environmentcondition data through one or more environment condition monitoringapparatuses 652 (e.g., camera, person density counter, infrared sensors,or GPS) to content management/distribution platform 620 and to receiveand display distributed content 650 a (e.g., trigger content comprisingcontent that is intended to illicit a commercial activity from one ormore participating users 655) that is received from contentmanagement/distribution platform 620. In an illustrative operation,media/substrate environment 650 or 665 can be associated by contentmanagement/distribution platform 620 according to a content managementand distribution paradigm (e.g., the distribution paradigm can look to anumber of environment condition criteria when associatingmedia/substrates including but not limited to the size of a givenmedia/substrate, or the location of the given media/substrate).

Participating users 655 may interface with media/substrate 650 or 665 inboth active and passive capacities. Participating users 655 maycomprise, for example, people that pass in the vicinity of themedia/substrate 650 or have media substrate 655 on their person, but mayalso comprise, for example, counting the number of a selected beveragewithin a proximate distance from media/substrate 650 or 665. In anexemplary implementation, the media/substrate 650 or 665 may havesensors that identify environment condition data for the vicinity. Theenvironment condition data may comprise, for example, informationcollected by the environment condition monitoring apparatuses 652 about,amongst others, the participating users 655, the types of beverageslocated proximate to media/substrates 650 or 665, and/or thenumber/frequency/timing of selected beverages being dispensed by aselected beverage dispensing apparatus through data collected fromexemplary beverage dispensing monitoring apparatus 610 operativelyconnected to the one or more beverage dispensing mechanisms (e.g., beertaps, soda taps, or wine taps) 605 a, 605 b, 605 c, 605 d, and/or 605 e.For example, in an exemplary implementation, media/substrate 650 cancomprise infrared, camera, and/or GPS sensors to detect participatingusers 655 in the vicinity, and/or the type of beverage the participatingusers 655 are purchasing or have purchased. Additionally, in anillustrative implementation, media/substrate 665 can comprise a GPSsensor to identify the location of the participating user 655 that mayown media/substrate 665 for use by a cooperating app (not shown) tocommunicate to content management/distribution platform 620 for use inselecting and delivering content specific to the participating user 655owning media/substrate 665 to allow the participating user to have oneor more commercial advantages (e.g., discounts, giveaways, or rewards)in connection with the procurement of a desired beverage 660.

Participating users 655 may actively interface with media/substrate 650or 665. For example, media/substrate may provide an interface thatallows participating users 650 or 665 to input information aboutthemselves or about the environment to media/substrate 650 or 665. Users655 may answer questions, engage in a trivia game, displayed onmedia/substrate 650 or 665 or otherwise input information.Media/substrate 650 or 665 may further comprise hardware and software toreceive all types of inputs from users 655. For example, media/substrate650 or 665 may accept voice input, gesture input, keyboard input, i.e.,text, electromagnetic card input, identification inputs, payment inputs,biometric scans, or any other mechanism for transmitting informationfrom users 655. The information gathered from users is communicated asenvironment condition data to content management distribution platform620 where it can be used by content management and distributionapplication 640 to determine what content should be distributed to themedia/substrate 650 or 665. Thus, a participating user 655 may make aninput into media/substrate 650 or 665 that triggers the distribution ofcontent to media/substrate 650 or 665 by contributing to one or moreselected environment conditions which satisfy one or more selectedenvironment condition criteria.

The environment condition data collected at media/substrate 650 or 655and/or beverage dispensing monitoring apparatuses 610 may becommunicated (electronically or otherwise) to contentmanagement/distribution platform 620. The environment condition data maybe communicated in real time or at determined intervals. Responsive toreceiving the data representative of the environment conditions, contentmanagement/distribution platform 620 executing contentmanagement/distribution application 640 is illustratively operative toprocess the environment condition data and data representative of themedia/substrate 650 or 665 (e.g., media/substrate tracking/monitoringdata 630) according to one or more distribution guidelines 645 (e.g.,environment condition criteria) to identify digital content 635 fordistribution to media/substrate distributed content 650 a. Contentmanagement/distribution platform 620 may be operable to selectparticular distribution guidelines 645 depending upon various selectioncriteria including but not limited to, for example, the location of amedia/substrate 660 or 655, the weather conditions proximate to themedia/substrate 650 or 665, the size of a display at the media/substrate650 or 665, the operational state of the media/substrate 650 or 665,and/or the commercial activity as it relates to the dispensing ofbeverages proximate to media substrate 650 or 665.

In the illustrative operation, content management/distribution platform620 can store media/substrate track/monitoring data representative ofcontent that is distributed to media/substrate environment 650 or 665and/or content that is not distributed and can process media/substratetracking/monitoring data to generate reporting data 625 that isrepresentative of content 635 that is distributed and/or content 635that is not selected for distribution. In the illustrative operation,content management/distribution platform 620 can communicate withcontent providers computing environment 670 to communicate the generatedreporting data. Further in the illustrative operation, depending on thereceived environment condition data (e.g., no one has passed by a givenmedia/substrate for a selected period of time, the time of day, theweather, etc.), content management/distribution platform 620 canoperatively communicate with media/substrate environment 650 or 665 torequest that the media/substrate 650 or 665 power down according to oneor more selected power management paradigms executed by media/substrateenvironment 650 or 665.

As is shown in FIG. 6, exemplary beverage dispensing content managementand distribution environment 600 can further comprise content providercomputing environment 670 operable to electronically cooperate withcontent management and distribution platform 620. Content providerscomputing environment 670 can operatively communicate data, viacommunications network(s) 615 to content management and distributionplatform 620. Content providers 675 may use computing environment 670 toaccess content management and distribution platform 620 for any numberof reasons. For example, in an exemplary implementation, contentproviders 675 may use content providers computing environment 670 toperform one or more functions, such as input new content, changecontent, and/or change or select criteria for presenting particularitems of content. The information input at content providers computingenvironment 670 is communicated to and received at the contentmanagement and distribution platform 620 for use when selecting anddistributing content 650 a on an exemplary media/substrate 650 or 665.

In an illustrative operation, participating users 655 can participate ina beverage dispensing environment 600 to purchase a desired beverage 660that can be dispensed from one or more beverage dispensing apparatuses605 a to 650 e. Illustratively, as the beverage 660 is being dispensedfrom the one or more beverage dispensing apparatuses 605 a to 650 e, anexemplary beverage dispensing monitoring device 610 communicativelycoupled to the one or more beverage dispensing apparatuses 605 a to 650e can operatively communicate over communications network(s) 615 datarepresentative of the dispensing of the beverage (e.g., beveragedispensing environment condition data) 660 to content management anddistribution platform 620 for processing. Responsive to receiving thebeverage dispensing environment condition data, content management anddistribution platform 620 can operatively select digital content 635 forcommunication to one or more media/substrates 650 or 665 that areproximate to the beverage dispensing apparatus that is dispensing thedesired beverage (e.g., 605 a to 650 e), i.e., the selected distributedcontent having relevance or context to the beverage 660 that ispurchased by the user 655. In the illustrative operation, the selectedand distributed content 650 can comprise various data including but notlimited to one or more coupons, one or more rewards, one or moreincentives, one or more redeemable giveaways, and/or comprise datarepresentative of a trivia game which the user can interact with themedia/substrate to win any of including but not limited to one or morecoupons, one or more rewards, one or more incentives, and/or one or moreredeemable giveaways.

In an illustrative operation, the participating user 655 can run an app(not shown) on the media/substrate 665 that cooperatively communicateswith content management and distribution platform 620 overcommunications network(s) 615 to provide data representative of theuser's specific beverage purchase profile (e.g., the type, styles,brands, and prices of beverages that the user prefers and otherdemographic information) which can be used by content management anddistribution platform 620 to select content 635 specific to the userthat will be relevant to a specific user based on the user's profile(e.g., coupon for a specific type, style, brand, and/or price ofbeverage or beverage related product, such as a meal, or promotionalmaterials).

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of exemplary processing performed by illustrativecontent management and distribution platforms of FIGS. 3 and 4. At block700, content management and distribution application associatesidentifiers with one or more cooperating media/substrates. Thus, each ofmedia/substrates is associated with an identifier that is used by thecontent management and distribution system to store data related to theparticular media/substrate as well as to identify data for distributionto the media/substrate.

At block 710, environment condition data is processed so as to beavailable for use in identifying content for distribution. Environmentcontent data is collected at the media/substrates as described above.The environment content data may comprise, for example, the number ofpeople passing by one or more media/substrates, the number of vehiclespassing one or more media/substrates, the weather proximate to the oneor more media/substrates, and purchases being made proximate to the oneor more media/substrates. The environment content data is communicatedto the content management distribution system where it is stored inrelation to an identifier corresponding to the particularmedia/substrate from which the data derived.

In addition to aggregating the environment content data, the contentmanagement distribution system determines the set of environmentcondition selection criteria that should be applied to the environmentcontent data in order to identify content for distribution. Differentenvironment condition selection criteria may be employed depending uponany number of factors. For example, the environment condition selectioncriteria may be selected based upon, for example, the time of day oryear, the location of the one or more media/substrates, the size of theone or more media/substrates, the weather proximate to the one or moremedia/substrates, and the operational state of the one or more mediasubstrates. These inputs may be used to identify the set of selectioncriteria that are then used to query the environment condition data.

At block 720, one or more environment conditions criteria is applied toidentify selected content for distribution to the one or moremedia/substrates. The content management and distribution applicationmay apply the relevant content distribution guidelines or conditionscriteria to, for example, the environment condition data, in order todetermine which content should be delivered to which media/substrates.For example, the content distribution/delivery guidelines may specifythat media/substrates located at a particular area and with a determinedamount of individuals in the vicinity for a particular time frame are toreceive a particular set of content. The content conditions selectioncriteria may specify, for example, that one or more media/substrateswith a particular threshold of traffic in the vicinity or proximatethereto (i.e., the number of persons and/or vehicles passing in thevicinity) are candidates for receiving a particular advertisement orpublic notice. The content conditions selection criteria may specify,for example, that a media/substrate having a particular location,experiencing a particular weather condition, and/or having a commercialtransaction taking place in proximity is a candidate for receiving aparticular advertisement.

At block 730, content management and distribution system manages thedistribution of the identified selected content to the one or morecooperating media-substrates. The system may manage the distribution by,for example, specifying: the content to be distributed, themedia/substrate(s) to which the content is to be distributed, the timethe content is to be distributed, the means by which the content is tobe distributed, and/or the person(s) responsible for managing thedistribution. The content management and distribution system maycommunicate the selected data electronically over the communicationsnetwork at a system specified data and time. The selected data may bedisplayed at a media/substrate via electronic means such as, forexample, an LCD display. In an exemplary implementation, contentmanagement and distribution system may manage the distribution ofcontent by, for example, identifying that particular content is to becommunicated manually. The content may be displayed on a surface of amedia/substrate in non-electronic form.

At block 740, information relevant to the content that is distributed tothe media/substrates is tracked and/or monitored as well as thenon-selected content. In an exemplary implementation, relevantinformation that is be tracked may comprise, for example, the contentthat was distributed, the media/substrates to which the content wasdistributed, the time that the content was distributed, the duration forwhich the content was displayed, etc. The tracking and monitoring datais stored for later retrieval.

At block 750, one or more reports are generated for display/storage.Reports may be generated from any and all of the data that is collectedby the content management and distribution platform. For example,reports may be generated from the tracking and monitoring data. Reportsmay be generated for any number of purposes and regarding any number ofitems. For example, reports may be generated that illustrate theparticular content that was distributed as well as the content that wasnot selected for distribution. Reports may be generated that illustratethe operation of particular media/substrates. The reports may begenerated at predetermined intervals or in response to requests bycontent providers and/or operators of the system. The reporting data maybe stored for later retrieval.

FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary process that may be performed byillustrative content management and distribution platforms of FIGS. 3and 4. As shown, at block 700, one or more environment conditioncriteria are defined to associate selected content with one or moreselected environment conditions. In an illustrative implementation, suchenvironment condition criteria can include but are not limited tolocation of the media/substrate, the weather proximate to themedia/substrate, the size of the media/substrate, and the operationalstate of the media/substrate. Based on the environment conditioncriteria, selected content can be identified for distribution to one ormore cooperating media/substrates. In an illustrative implementation, anadvertisement for a car (i.e., exemplary selected content) can beassociated for distribution to a cooperating media having the adequatesize to display a car-type advertisement and is located near a gasstation (e.g., environment condition criteria).

At block 810, environment content data is collected at themedia/substrates as described above. The environment content data maycomprise, for example, the number of people passing by one or moremedia/substrates, the number of vehicles passing one or moremedia/substrates, the weather proximate to the one or moremedia/substrates, and commercial transactions (e.g., purchase of a soda)made proximate to the one or more media/substrates. The environmentcontent data is communicated to the content management distributionsystem where it is stored in relation to the particular media/substratefrom which it derived.

At block 820, the environment condition criteria is applied to thecollected environment condition data to identify which selected contentto distribute to the one or more cooperating media/substrates that areexperiencing the one or more environment conditions. The contentmanagement and distribution application applies the relevant contentdistribution guidelines/criteria/rules to determine which content shouldbe delivered to which media/substrates. For example, the contentdistribution/delivery guidelines may specify that media/substrateslocated at a particular area and with a determined amount of individualsin the vicinity for a particular time frame are to receive a particularset of content.

At block 830, the identified content is distributed to cooperatingmedia/substrates. The selected data may be communicated electronicallyover the communications network. In another implementation, the contentmay be communicated via other means such as, for example, manually.

At block 840, the content management and distribution platform tracksinformation relevant to the content that is distributed to themedia/substrates as well as the content that is not selected fordistribution. In an exemplary implementation, relevant information thatis be tracked may comprise, for example, the content that wasdistributed, the media/substrates to which the content was distributed,the time that the content was distributed, the duration for which thecontent was displayed, etc. The tracking and monitoring data is storedfor later retrieval.

At block 850, content management and distribution platform generates oneor more reports. The reports may be stored and/or displayed. The reportsmay reflect information relating to content that has been distributed,but may also reflect information regarding content that was not selectedfor distribution.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart of exemplary processing performed by illustrativecontent management and distribution platforms of FIGS. 3, 4, and 6operative as part of exemplary beverage dispensing environment 600 ofFIG. 6. At block 900, a content management and distribution applicationassociates identifiers with one or more cooperating media/substrates aspart of an exemplary beverage dispensing environment (e.g., 600 of FIG.6). Thus, each media/substrates is associated with an identifier that isused by the content management and distribution system to store datarelated to the particular media/substrate as well as to identify datafor distribution to the media/substrate.

At block 910, environment condition data is processed so as to beavailable for use in identifying content for distribution. Environmentcontent data is collected at the media/substrates as described above.The environment content data may comprise any of including but notlimited to, for example, the number of people passing by one or moremedia/substrates, the number of a particular type of beverage beingdispensed proximate to one or more media/substrates, the purchases of aparticular beverage being made proximate to the one or moremedia/substrates, and/or the number of various types of beveragesproximate to the media/substrates. The environment content data iscommunicated to the content management distribution system where it isstored in relation to an identifier corresponding to the particularmedia/substrate from which the data was derived.

In addition to aggregating the environment content data, the contentmanagement distribution system determines the set of environmentcondition selection criteria that should be applied to the environmentcontent data in order to identify content for distribution. Differentenvironment condition selection criteria may be employed depending uponany number of factors. For example, the environment condition selectioncriteria may be selected based upon, for example, the time of day oryear, the location of the one or more media/substrates, the size of theone or more media/substrates, the weather proximate to the one or moremedia/substrates, the operational state of the one or more mediasubstrates, the type of one or more events (e.g., sports event, theaterevent, music concert, moving screening, or gaming event) that isproximate to the media/substrates, the progress of the event that isproximate to the media/substrates (e.g., beginning, middle, end,intermission, or halftime), the score of the event, or the attendance atthe event and other event characteristics. These inputs may be used toidentify the set of selection criteria that are then used to query theenvironment condition data.

At block 920, one or more environment conditions criteria is applied toidentify selected content for distribution to the one or moremedia/substrates. The content management and distribution applicationmay apply the relevant content distribution guidelines or conditionscriteria to, for example, the environment condition data, in order todetermine which content should be delivered to which media/substrates.For example, the content distribution/delivery guidelines may specifythat media/substrates located at a particular area and with a determinedamount of individuals in the vicinity for a particular time frame are toreceive a particular set of content based on beverage dispensing,purchase, or beverage inquiry. The content conditions selection criteriamay specify, for example, that one or more media/substrates with aparticular threshold of human traffic holding a particular beverage inthe vicinity or proximate thereto are candidates for receiving aparticular advertisement or public notice. The content conditionsselection criteria may specify, for example, that a media/substratehaving a particular location, experiencing a particular weathercondition, and/or having a commercial transaction (e.g., beveragepurchase) taking place in proximity is a candidate for receiving aparticular advertisement.

At block 930, content management and distribution system manages thedistribution of the identified selected content to the one or morecooperating media-substrates. The system may manage the distribution by,for example, specifying the content to be distributed, themedia/substrate(s) to which the content is to be distributed, the timethe content is to be distributed, the way in which the content is to bedistributed, and/or the person(s) responsible for managing thedistribution. The content management and distribution system maycommunicate the selected data electronically over the communicationsnetwork at a system specified data and time. The selected data may bedisplayed at a media/substrate electronically, such as via an LCDdisplay. In an exemplary implementation, content management anddistribution system may manage the distribution of content by, forexample, identifying that particular content is to be communicatedmanually. The content may be displayed on a surface of a media/substratein non-electronic form.

At block 940, information relevant to the content that is distributed tothe media/substrates is tracked and/or monitored as well as thenon-selected content. In an exemplary implementation, relevantinformation that is be tracked may comprise, for example, the contentthat was distributed, the media/substrates to which the content wasdistributed, the time that the content was distributed, the duration forwhich the content was displayed, or the redemption of incentives (e.g.,coupons, rewards, or giveaways). The tracking and monitoring data isstored for later retrieval.

At block 950, one or more reports are generated for display/storage.Reports may be generated from any and all of the data that is collectedby the content management and distribution platform. For example,reports may be generated from the tracking and monitoring data. Reportsmay be generated for any number of purposes and regarding any number ofitems. For example, reports may be generated that illustrate theparticular content that was distributed as well as the content that wasnot selected for distribution. Reports may be generated that illustratethe operation of particular media/substrates. The reports may begenerated at predetermined intervals or in response to requests bycontent providers and/or operators of the system. The reporting data maybe stored for later retrieval.

FIG. 10 depicts an exemplary process that may be performed byillustrative content management and distribution platforms of FIGS. 3,4, and 6 as part of an illustrative beverage dispensing environment ofFIG. 6. As shown, at block 1000, one or more environment conditioncriteria are defined to associate selected content with one or moreselected environment conditions. In an illustrative implementation, suchenvironment condition criteria can include but are not limited tolocation of the media/substrate, the weather proximate to themedia/substrate, the size of the media/substrate, commercial activityproximate to the media/substrate (e.g., beverage transactions,inquiries, or redemptions) and/or the operational state of themedia/substrate. Based on the environment condition criteria, selectedcontent can be identified for distribution to one or more cooperatingmedia/substrates. In an illustrative implementation, an advertisementfor a selected beverage and associated materials (i.e., exemplaryselected content) can be associated for distribution to a cooperatingmedia/substrate having the adequate size to display a beverage typeadvertisement and is located in a beverage dispensing environment(bar/restaurant, hotel, or event venue) (e.g., environment conditioncriteria).

At block 1010, environment content data is collected at themedia/substrates as described above. The environment content data maycomprise, for example, the number of people passing by one or moremedia/substrates, the number and type of beverages proximate to one ormore media/substrates, the weather proximate to the one or moremedia/substrates, the dispensing of a beverage, and commercialtransactions (e.g., purchase of a beverage) made proximate to the one ormore media/substrates. The environment content data is communicated tothe content management distribution system where it is stored inrelation to the particular media/substrate from which it was derived.

At block 1020, the environment condition criteria is applied to thecollected environment condition data to identify which selected contentto distribute to the one or more cooperating media/substrates that areexperiencing the one or more environment conditions. The contentmanagement and distribution application applies the relevant contentdistribution guidelines/criteria/rules to determine which content shouldbe delivered to which media/substrates. For example, the contentdistribution/delivery guidelines may specify that media/substrateslocated at a particular area and with a determined amount of individualswho purchased a particular beverage in the vicinity for a particulartime frame are to receive a particular set of content.

At block 1030, the identified content is distributed to cooperatingmedia/substrates. The selected data may be communicated electronicallyover the communications network. In another implementation, the contentmay be communicated in other ways, such as manually.

At block 1040, the content management and distribution platform tracksinformation relevant to the content that is distributed to themedia/substrates as well as the content that is not selected fordistribution. In an exemplary implementation, relevant information thatis be tracked may comprise, for example, the content that wasdistributed, the media/substrates to which the content was distributed,the time that the content was distributed, or the duration for which thecontent was displayed. The tracking and monitoring data is stored forlater retrieval.

At block 1050, content management and distribution platform generatesone or more reports. The reports may be stored and/or displayed. Thereports may reflect information relating to content that has beendistributed, but may also reflect information regarding content that wasnot selected for distribution.

Thus, systems and methods for managing and distributing digital contenthave been disclosed. In an exemplary implementation, content is selectedfor distribution, in part, based upon the environment conditions at thedevice where the electronic content is to be displayed. The embodimentsand implementations disclosed herein are for exemplary purposes only.Additional embodiments that may not be explicitly disclosed fall withinthe contemplated implementations. For example, any suitable device maybe used to collect environment data and display content. Furthermore,any type of environment condition data may be collected and used in thedetermination of content to be delivered. Still further, any type ofselection criteria/guidelines/rules may be used to identify content fordistribution to particular media/substrates.

The methods and adaptations of the disclosed systems that are describedherein can be implemented by computer-executable instructions stored onone or more computer-readable media or conveyed by a signal of anysuitable type. The methods can be implemented at least in part manually.The steps of the methods can be implemented by software or combinationsof software and hardware and in any of the ways described above. Thecomputer-executable instructions can be the same process executing on asingle or a plurality of microprocessors or multiple processes executingon a single or a plurality of microprocessors. The methods can berepeated any number of times as needed and the steps of the methods canbe performed in any suitable order.

The subject matter described herein can operate in the general contextof computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, executedby one or more components. Generally, program modules include routines,programs, objects, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasksor implement particular abstract data types. Typically, thefunctionality of the program modules can be combined or distributed asdesired. Although the description above relates generally tocomputer-executable instructions of a computer program that runs on acomputer and/or computers, the user interfaces, methods and systems alsocan be implemented in combination with other program modules. Generally,program modules include routines, programs, components, data structures,etc. that perform particular tasks and/or implement particular abstractdata types.

Moreover, the subject matter described herein can be practiced with mostany suitable computer system configurations, including single-processoror multiprocessor computer systems, mini-computing devices, mainframecomputers, personal computers, stand-alone computers, hand-heldcomputing devices, wearable computing devices, microprocessor-based orprogrammable consumer electronics, and the like as well as distributedcomputing environments in which tasks are performed by remote processingdevices that are linked through a communications network. In adistributed computing environment, program modules can be located inboth local and remote memory storage devices. The methods and systemsdescribed herein can be embodied on a computer-readable medium havingcomputer-executable instructions as well as signals (e.g., electronicsignals) manufactured to transmit such information, for instance, on anetwork.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the subject matter defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above.Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed asexample forms of implementing some of the claims.

It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combinationof components or methodologies that fall within the claimed subjectmatter, and many further combinations and permutations of the subjectmatter are possible. While a particular feature may have been disclosedwith respect to only one of several implementations, such feature can becombined with one or more other features of the other implementations ofthe subject matter as may be desired and advantageous for any given orparticular application.

Moreover, it is to be appreciated that various aspects as describedherein can be implemented on portable computing devices and otheraspects can be implemented across distributed computing platforms.Likewise, various aspects as described herein can be implemented as aset of services.

It is understood that the herein described systems and methods aresusceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions.There is no intention to limit the herein described systems and methodsto the specific constructions described herein. On the contrary, theherein described systems and methods are intended to cover allmodifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling withinthe scope and spirit of the herein described systems and methods.

It should also be noted that the herein described systems and methodscan be implemented in a variety of electronic environments (includingboth non-wireless and wireless computer environments), partial computingenvironments, and real world environments. The various techniquesdescribed herein may be implemented in hardware or software, or acombination of both. Preferably, the techniques are implemented incomputing environments maintaining programmable computers that include acomputer network, processor, servers, a storage medium readable by theprocessor (including volatile and non-volatile memory and/or storageelements), at least one input device, and at least one output device.Computing hardware logic cooperating with various instructions sets areapplied to data to perform the functions described above and to generateoutput information. The output information is applied to one or moreoutput devices. Programs used by the exemplary computing hardware may bepreferably implemented in various programming languages, including highlevel procedural or object oriented programming language to communicatewith a computer system. Illustratively the herein described apparatusand methods may be implemented in assembly or machine language, ifdesired. In any case, the language may be a compiled or interpretedlanguage. Each such computer program is preferably stored on a storagemedium or device (e.g., ROM or magnetic disk) that is readable by ageneral or special purpose programmable computer for configuring andoperating the computer when the storage medium or device is read by thecomputer to perform the procedures described above. The apparatus canalso be considered to be implemented as a computer-readable storagemedium, configured with a computer program, where the storage medium soconfigured causes a computer to operate in a specific and predefinedmanner.

Although exemplary implementations of the herein described systems andmethods have been described in detail above, those skilled in the artwill readily appreciate that many additional modifications are possiblein the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novelteachings and advantages of the herein described systems and methods.Accordingly, these and all such modifications are intended to beincluded within the scope of the herein described systems and methods.

What has been described above includes examples of the claimed subjectmatter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivablecombination of components or methodologies for purposes of describingthe claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art mayrecognize that many further combinations and permutations of the claimedsubject matter are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter isintended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variationsthat fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in eitherthe detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to beinclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising”is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.

The herein described systems and methods may be better defined by thefollowing exemplary claims.

What is claimed:
 1. A content management and distribution system for usein beverage dispensing environments, comprising: at least one computingprocessor; and a computing memory communicatively coupled with the atleast one computing processor, the computing memory having storedthereon computer executable instructions that cause the contentmanagement and distribution system to perform operations, comprising:selecting by the content management and distribution system, based uponat least one display system factor comprising at least one of (i) alocation of the at least one display system, (ii) a physical size of theat least one display system, (iii) a physical orientation of the atleast one display system and (iv) an operating status of the at leastone display system, a set of selection criteria to be used inidentifying information for display at the at least one display system;receiving by the content management and distribution system datarepresentative of at least one environment conditions that is collectedby one or more environment condition sensing devices operativelycooperating with the at least one display system, the environmentconditions comprising at least one physical environment conditionrelating to dispensing a beverage, the at least one display system beingoperatively connected to a communications network providing at least onedata service comprising one of voice service, television service andbroadband connectivity service, and at least one physical environmentcondition occurring within a predetermined distance from the at leastone display system comprising: a number of people, an occurrence of acommercial transaction, an occurrence of at least one physical gesturefrom at least one person, an utterance of spoken words, a movement ofthe at least one person, an interaction with at least one data elementon the at least one display system, a shape of the at least one person,an amount of hair on the at least one person, a presence of facial hairon the at least one person, a height of the at least one person, a skintone of the at least one person, a presence of makeup on the at leastone person, a length of time the at least one person looks at the atleast one display system, a number of beverages being dispensed, and atype of beverage being dispensed; applying by the content management anddistribution system the selected set of selection criteria and the datarepresentative of the at least one environment condition in queryingcontent data residing on the data store to select content fordistribution; and communicating the selected content to at least onedisplay system.
 2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein theselected content comprises at least one of text content, graphiccontent, video content and audio content.
 3. The system as recited inclaim 2, wherein the at least one display system comprises an existingdisplay unit.
 4. The system as recited in claim 2, wherein the at leastone display system comprises at least one of a mobile phone, asmartphone, a kiosk, a directory display unit, an emergency informationdisplay unit, an electronic billboard, an electronic bulletin board, atelevision, an interactive ordering unit, a tablet computing device, apersonal computer, a wearable computer, a smartphone, a smartwatch and amobile-enabled watch device.
 5. The system as recited in claim 4,wherein the at least one environment condition sensing device isintegrated within at least one cooperating component comprising the atleast one display system and at least one beverage dispensing apparatus.6. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein the digital communicationsnetwork comprises a wireless communications network.
 7. The system asrecited in claim 5, wherein the selected content is overlaid over othercontent displayable on the at least one display system comprising atleast one television content and public notice content.
 8. The system asrecited in claim 7, wherein the selected content is selected based onthe at least one environment condition comprising a connectivity to aselected subscription-based data service, the subscription-based dataservice comprising a user interface application.
 9. The system asrecited in claim 8, wherein the selected content is selected based onthe at least one environment condition comprising interactivity with auser interface application.
 10. The system as recited in claim 1,wherein the computing memory includes computer executable instructionsstored thereon that cause the content management and distribution systemto perform further operations comprising at least one instruction fortracking content that is distributed to the at least one display systemand for storing data representative of the tracked content.
 11. Thesystem as recited in claim 10, wherein the computing memory includescomputer executable instructions stored thereon that cause the contentmanagement and distribution system to perform further operationscomprising at least one instruction for generating reporting data fromdata representative of the tracked content.
 12. The system as recited inclaim 1, wherein the at least one display system is configured toreceive content in accordance with at least one instruction provided bythe content management and distribution system and display the receivedcontent.
 13. The system as recited in claim 5, further comprising: atleast one integrated computing processor operative to cooperate with theat least one environment condition sensing device and operative toexecute at least one computing instruction to process datarepresentative of the at least one environment condition sensed by theat least one environment condition sensing device.
 14. The system asrecited in claim 13, wherein the at least one environment conditionsensing device comprises at least one of cameras, at least one motionsensor, at least one people counter, a communications network router, acredit card terminal, a weather station, a thermostat, a flow meter, anelectric meter, an audio microphone, a gaming console controller, aremote control, a smart-phone, a tablet computing device, a keyboard, apointing device, and a touch display panel.
 15. The system as recited inclaim 1, wherein the at least one display system comprises a displaypanel for displaying content.
 16. The system as recited in claim 15,wherein the at least one display system comprises at least one of alight emitting diode display, a liquid crystal display, and a displaypane having a first portion comprising a light emitting diode displaypanel and a second portion having a liquid crystal display portion. 17.The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the at least one displaysystem is configured to electronically receive content from the contentmanagement and distribution system.
 18. The system as recited in claim1, wherein the at least one display system comprises a displayconfigured to display content, a computing processor operable tocooperate with the at least one environment condition sensing deviceconfigured to sense the at least one environment condition, and acommunications component configured to communicate with the contentmanagement and distribution system.
 19. The system as recited in claim18, wherein the at least one display system further comprises a datastore.
 20. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least onedisplay system is configured to receive input from an operator, theinput comprising at least one of voice, text, biometric data, paymentdata, gesture data, demographic data, and beverage identification data.21. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising: at least onedata store operable to store data comprising at least one of content fordistribution, guidelines for distributing content, tracking dataidentifying content previously distributed, and reporting data.
 22. Acomputer implemented method for managing and/or distributing content,comprising: selecting, at a computing system, by a content managementand distribution system, based upon at least one display system factorcomprising at least one of (i) the at least one display system, (ii) aphysical size of the at least one display system, (iii) a physicalorientation of the at least one display system, and (iv) an operatingstatus of the at least one display system, a set of selection criteriato be used in identifying information for display at the at least onedisplay system; receiving, at the computing system, by the contentmanagement and distribution system data representative of at least oneenvironment condition that is collected by at least one environmentcondition sensing device operatively cooperating with the at least onedisplay system, the environment conditions comprising at least onephysical environment condition relating to dispensing a beverage, the atleast one display system being operatively connected to a communicationsnetwork providing at least one data service comprising one of voiceservice, television service and broadband connectivity service, and atleast one physical environment condition occurring within apredetermined distance from the at least one display system comprising:a number of people, an occurrence of a commercial transaction, anoccurrence of a one or more physical gestures from at least one person,an utterance of spoken words, a movement of the at least one person, aninteraction with at least data element on the at least one displaysystem, a shape of the at least one person, an amount of hair on the atleast one persons, a presence of facial hair on the at least one person,a height of the at least one person, a skin tone of the at least oneperson, a presence of makeup on the at least one person, a length oftime the at least a person looks at the at least one display system, anumber of beverages being dispensed, and a type of beverage beingdispensed; applying, at the computing system, by the content managementand distribution system the selected set of selection criteria and thedata representative of the at least one environment condition inquerying content data residing on the data store to select content fordistribution; and communicating, at a computing system, the selectedcontent to the at least one display system.
 23. The method as recited inclaim 22, further comprising: associating an identifier with the atleast one cooperating display system.
 24. The method as recited in claim22, wherein receiving data representative of the at least oneenvironment condition of the at least one cooperating display systemcomprises receiving data representing dispensing at least one beverage.25. The method as recited in claim 22, further comprising: receivingselection criteria from a cooperating content provider.
 26. The methodas recited in claim 22, further comprising: tracking content that isdistributed to the at least one cooperating display system and storingdata representing the tracked content.
 27. The method as recited inclaim 26, further comprising: generating reporting data from the datarepresenting the tracked content.
 28. The method as recited in claim 22,wherein receiving data representative of environment conditionscomprises receiving data representative of environment conditionsaccording to a schedule.
 29. A non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium comprising computer readable instructions that, when executed bya computing system cause the computing system to perform operations,comprising: selecting, at a computing system, by a content managementand distribution system, based upon at least one display system factorcomprising at least one of (i) a location of the at least one displaysystem, (ii) a physical size of the at least one display system, (iii) aphysical orientation of the at least one display system (iv) and anoperating status of the at least one display system, a set of selectioncriteria to be used in identifying information for display at the one ormore display systems; receiving, at the computing system, by the contentmanagement and distribution system data representative of at least oneenvironment condition that is collected by at least one environmentcondition sensing device operatively cooperating with the at least onedisplay system, the environment conditions comprising at least onephysical environment condition relating to dispensing a beverage, the atleast one display system being operatively connected to a communicationsnetwork providing at least one data service comprising one of voiceservice, television service and broadband connectivity service, and atleast one physical environment condition occurring within apredetermined distance from the at least one or more display systemscomprising: a number of people, an occurrence of a commercialtransaction, an occurrence of at least one physical gesture from atleast one person, an utterance of spoken words, a movement of at leastone person, an interaction with at least one data element on the atleast one display system, a shape of the at least one person, an amountof hair on the at least one person, a presence of facial hair on the atleast one person, a height of the at least one person, a skin tone ofthe at least one person, a presence of makeup on the at least oneperson, a length of time the at least one person looks at the at leastone display system, a number of beverages being dispensed, and a type ofbeverage being dispensed; applying, at the computing system, by thecontent management and distribution system the selected set of selectioncriteria and the data representative of the at least one environmentcondition in querying content data residing on the data store to selectcontent for distribution; and communicating, at a computing system, theselected content to the at least one display system.